Tanush Kotian’s 10-Wicket Haul Should Get Him A Test Cap

One big feat missing in Tanush Kotian’s numbers was a 10-wicket haul in a single first-class match, namely the Ranji Trophy. As a Mumbaikar, he has been around for eight seasons, but a 10+ wicket haul, which brightens a bowler’s achievements in a match and lifts his profile as a match-winner on his own, had eluded him. The right-arm finger spinner — thanks to Mumbai and skipper Siddhesh Lad’s inclination to enforce the follow-on against Haryana and toss the ball to his leading spinner — went for the jugular and dismissed eight Haryana batters in the second innings and crossed the ten-wicket mark in a match (he had taken three in the first innings). It was his 50th first-class match, and he would be pleased as punch; but his best effort in eight seasons also explained why the selection committee hadn’t seriously considered him for multi-day Test cricket so far. Kotian sent down 34.3 overs at the BKC and took 8 for 81 on a fourth-day pitch and won a third straight match for Mumbai in the Elite ‘D’Group match. His match figures of 11 for 151 have to be seen as a big deal; he will be in the basket now for the five-Test series against Australia in the first quarter of 2027. Kotian joined the national squad two winters ago when Ravichandran Ashwin retired midway through the series in Australia and Axar Patel was unavailable. Now he could stake a claim by showing consistency in the remaining league matches. The spinners come into play after the new ball bowlers do their stint, and it’s not child’s play to dismiss 50% of the rival team. Now that Kotian has done it, he should look for more bagfuls! His next duty will be against the Railways at the Brabourne.